Category Archives: OBX Wild Horses

You may recall that, a couple of years ago, Motor Man and I randomly met a sweet couple (Renee and Mike) from Ohio on the beach at Carova. Renee was taking pictures of the horses, and….so was I (imagine that). We “hit it off” and became Facebook friends. They return to the Outer Banks once or twice yearly, and we drive down to spend some time with them while they’re in the area.

From my blog posts, you already know that Carova is a magical place for me. Renee feels the same way. Last week, they were at the beach on vacation, so Motor Man and I spent last Tuesday with them.

It was The. Perfect. Day. on the beach. The wind was from the west, which meant the flies were annoying the horses (not a good thing), but that also brings the horses to the water’s edge seeking relief. We lost count of how many horses we actually saw, but we’re guessing 70+.

When you have that many harems in one location, there are going to be “dust-ups” among the stallions. Although one of those looked pretty serious, thankfully neither horse seemed to be injured.

There was action everywhere; too much for Renee and I to capture with our cameras, although we certainly tried.

This won’t be the smoothest video you’ve ever watched, but I didn’t edit it. I thought those of you who’ve never been to the area would enjoy seeing not only the horses by the ocean, but also them running up on the dunes. I caught a couple of encounters among the stallions in this, including one kicking up his heels down by the water around the 30-second mark. (There is sound, but depending on your browser, that may not work. For me, it works through Edge, but not AOL.)

Motor Man and I didn’t think to take our tripod, so we asked a stranger to take a couple of pictures of us.

Hmmm….these two look a little guilty about something.

Mike and Renee are so much fun; we always enjoy our visits with them. After our amazing time on the beach, they treated us to lunch before we headed back home.

We’re already looking forward to their next visit, and can only hope the horses are as plentiful then as they were this time.

1.) Motor Man and I took a quick day trip to the Carova area of the Outer Banks earlier this week. We actually lost count of how many horses we saw ON. THE. BEACH. The flies were bothersome, and when that happens, the horses head to the water’s edge for relief. And because so many harems were in the same location, there was lots of action among the stallions.

2.) For the past few weeks, I’ve been fighting what I thought was tendonitis in my foot. An urgent care visit last week, along with a week’s regimen of prednisone, icing, and compressing provided no relief. So yesterday, I saw my podiatrist. After an x-ray, which showed no fractures, he diagnosed severe inflammation. An ouchie cortisone shot followed, and now I’m in a surgical boot until there’s some relief. But….the squirrel bird feeders were empty, so… (And, yes, Motor Man would gladly have filled them for me, but I’m a bit on the stubborn side.)

3.) It seems I now have a pet crow. He sits on this almost-too-small perch and caws at me while I’m in the yard.

4.) I thought this was an interesting shot. As you may recall reading here before, Gypsy loves playing in her water bowl. I’m not sure the reason why. Earlier this week, she jumped up in my lap immediately after some water-play. You just gotta love the durability of denim.

5.) This Sunday is our annual memorial day service at the “Old Brick Church” Cemetery in Bacon’s Castle. It’s a tradition that began LONG before my time. Weather permitting, the service is held outside near the ruins of the old church c. 1639. At this time, it’s looking as though, this year, we’ll be having it inside at a nearby church.

If you aren’t familiar with Matthew, please read this post for some background.

Last week, I received a Facebook message from Mary, Matthew’s mom. In it, she shared this photo with me:

This was her message that accompanied the photo:

“The beautiful mom and baby horse drawing that you saw in December won honorable mention in the international disabled artist competition in Minneapolis, Minnesota this week. There are 6 art categories with 1st – 3rd place and honorable mention. So 4 awards in each category. There was also a grand prize winner tonight. Out of 165 entries, Matthew won one of the 25 awards. I am so glad that you were able to see the drawing in person in December as it also sold in the 1st forty minutes of the show tonight. He says you can share this victory on your blog if you would like.”

Matthew titled his sketch “A Mother’s Love”.

Mary also mentioned that this is the first ribbon that Matthew has ever won.

Wow. As I’ve said before, I am so honored that Matthew is inspired by my photos. Among other’s, he’s sketched a bluebird, Sundae and many of the wild horses from my pictures.

This was taken September 10, 2015. Our friend, Bev, had ridden to the beach with us to see the wild horses. I remember Motor Man and her being so patient as we waited….and waited…and waited for the horses to move into position for me to get the “perfect” shot of this sweet scene.

AND….this picture was one chosen in the Corolla Wild Horse Fund calendar contest and appeared in the 2017 calendar.

Like this:

Last Sunday, Motor Man and I took advantage of the AMAZING weather and headed to Carova Beach.

Temps were in the low-mid 70’s (yes, 70’s) and although there were some clouds, we also had quite a bit of sun. The rain waited til later in the evening to move into the area.

We saw a total of 13 horses: not bad for this time of year. These six were enjoying lunch.

You may recall a post I wrote a few months ago about the radio station of my youth “returning” and playing songs from the 50’s and 60’s (and a few 70’s). It’s an AM station, but the reception is great in the Outer Banks. When I was taking this picture, the song “Sister Golden Hair ” by America was (appropriately) playing on the radio.

Storm clouds in the distance made for a pretty backdrop.

At one point, we were driving down near the ocean and caught these gulls in flight. It was nice having the windows down as we drove along the beach.

Dear Diana, I wanted to inform you that Wild Horse Freedom Federation has a registered trademark with the U.S. Patent Office of “Wild Horse Wednesday.” I see that you have used these words on a couple of your blog posts on thesedaysofmine.com

We are asking that you please immediately remove the words “Wild Horse Wednesday” in all places on your blog and cease to use them in the future. Thank you.

Debbie Coffey, V.P.Wild Horse Freedom Federation****

****Please note: this is NOT the organization who cares for “my” wild horses of the Outer Banks.

Now….if you “Google” the phraseshown in red above, among the top seven returns are links to two of my blog posts with that title. And I must admit that I consider that an honor. (I’ve since tweaked those titles to be “Wilde Horsey Wednesday”).

And when I did a little research on trademarks, most of the information is related to commerce. My blog isn’t about selling anything: I’ve never made a penny from this blog, and it has never been my intention to do so. But I don’t want to step on any hooves toes, especially those of folks who love and care for horses.

So Marshall helped me with a suggestion: when you see posts here in the future titled “Untamed Equine Hump-day”, you will know the reason.

Although Motor Man and I have been to the Carova 4-wheel drive area of the Outer Banks when the weather wasn’t perfect, we usually try to plan our trips for pretty days.

Our most recent visit certainly qualified.

I’ve mentioned before that the ideal place to see the horses is by the ocean. Second best is on the dunes.

Horses, dunes and sand fences make for an interesting photo.

This beauty was strolling down one of the “streets”. The horses have really started growing their woolly winter coats.

Lunch time. I think I’ll have a side of shrubbery.

This next picture was my favorite of the day. It was taken from inside our vehicle (Motor Man lowered his window) with my zoom lens.

Folks visit the beach for various reason: to swim, fish, sunbathe, look for seashells. Obviously, Motor Man and I have an entirely different reason for our trips, but my favorite acronym certainly applies to us:

It seems that, each week, I share photos from a trip to the Outer Banks. And this week is no different. These are from a couple of recent trips, and if we’re friends on Facebook, you may have already seen one or two of them.

On one of our trips, the sun was just beginning to break through the heavy clouds of the early morning. It made for some interesting scenery. This is the fence at the southernmost portion of the 4-wheel drive beach. It prevents the wild horses from straying from their area. There’s also a cattle-guard across the highway for the same purpose.

Clouds, sea oats and a fence.

It appears this cattle egret has a secret for his horse friend. Pssst…..

Waves and tree stumps.

As I’ve shared many times, although we love seeing the wild horses ANYWHERE, it’s always a special treat to see them by the ocean.

And near the dunes.

But, as we were beginning our return trip off the 4-wheel drive area, we spotted pelicans on the shore, and had to stop for pictures. (Thankful for a zoom lens.)

I shared this next one on my Facebook page and had comments from friends comparing this to a pastor with his congregation or a policeman directing traffic. One friend commented that it appeared the gull was attempting to shoo away the pelican.

No matter the weather, no matter the condition of the sand or the ocean, no matter how many horses we see or their location, we always enjoy our beach trips.